Dec. 15: The way one must look at Pedro

Both Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph said getting Pedro Martinez back late in the second half would be like making a deal at the trade deadline. Make sense in theory, but only if you can guarantee a half-season of quality starts. Neither would.

The Mets aren’t saying it, but they must look at Martinez as a non-entity in 2007. They can’t plan on one win out of him, much less eight or nine. That has to be one of the variables they’ll weigh when they consider how much they might offer Barry Zito.

As it is now, the Mets have two proven starters in their rotation, and both of them are 40-plus. There is no track record for John Maine, Dave Williams, Oliver Perez or Mike Pelfrey. At least none that suggests you can pencil in 30-plus starts and 15-plus wins.